Beaconsfield

“Wear this common garb. If you truly come from a time other than our own, you don’t want to give it away. Fealdar is on the hunt. I’ve seen them, officers patrolling the outskirts with little to no apparent reason. They’re after something, possibly you.”

Carol presented Jereas with a smooth silk vest and workers’ pants.

“Your ancient armour isn’t exactly what you go wandering around in.” Jereas nodded in approval.

He wondered if he would be spending the rest of his days in hiding, scurrying under the skirts of a woman. There was no reason he needed to bother with his supposed destiny, after all. Grandiose concepts of time and magic, prophecy and lords...they were beyond him. It would be fine for him to lead a quiet life, yes, and forget everything….

Perhaps it was all a dream, and this was the reality he lived in now. His life had begun in the grasslands of Beaconsfield, Fealdar, and anything before that was unreal...just abstract concepts that didn’t exist anymore.

So he took up some hard labour.

“Help me with the fields, will you?” she said gently.

So he would spend the next few weeks, utterly oblivious of his true role; hiding - a recluse. He never looked at Clei - it was comfortably kept away. Carol seemed content to have him around. Hopefully I’m not bothering her, he thought. She always wore a smile on her face and seemed happier since he first saw her.

Beaconsfield was minimalist, a far cry away from industrialised and developed kingdoms. Everything was locally made and produced, services were provided by the locals, and beyond supplies coming in through the main roadway, there was little interaction with the outside world. It was self-sustaining, and there was a peace to Beaconsfield that Jereas got used to.

“Did you have a lover, Jereas?”

“No....no, I was taken away at seventeen to train. Before that was nothing but soldier duty and study. You know, of the Earthern Realm and the Fifteen Seas.”

“Hah. No rebellious phase or time to explore? You really are just too pure, mister knight.”

He shrugged. “Maybe I am. But I never thought of it like that. I was just doing my duty. For the sake of all that is good.”

She took his hand into her own.

“And what of now, knight? Are you doing all that is good by living a quiet life here? Don’t you think this is too quiet a life for a hero? Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

“I’m no hero,” he dismissed. “Just a mouse that stumbled into the wrong part of a greater world. Yes, a quiet life is the way....my way…”

He stared towards the horizon. There were countless lands beyond, but they were places he had no interest in. He had seen enough to last him a lifetime.

Flaming humanoids…

Krakens of the deep...

He wondered whether he was truly safe; if Beaconsfield was just a time bomb ready to go off. That maybe, he wasn’t a mouse, but a smaller, crucial part of a much bigger puzzle.

You must become the Light of the World.

There was no guidance, nothing to tell him what to do. He scratched his head. Recently, he’d just been able to gather his thoughts, and live day by day without panic, with Carol by his side. Was he content with that?

“Jereas. I need to go to the city centre of Fealdar to pick up some supplies. Animal feed and fertiliser, as well as some knitting gear. Come with me and see the world. You may even find more of what you might be looking for, or, what might be looking for you.”

“Yes, indeed.” He nodded.

***

The following morning they packed for a three day trek along the Main Road. No-one knew who he was, and where they were going - not with him disguised as a commoner. He was safe....wasn’t he?

Beyond Beaconsfield were green hills and mountains, a soft landscape abundant in trees, ferns and wildlife. It was summer, and the sun’s rays shone brightly on the land, bringing out luscious fresh scenery that soothed the spirit. Crickets chirped, mixing in with the soft morning breeze, as Jereas and Carol walked briskly along the Main Road. There was no-one else on the road as of yet; just the two of them, alone in the whole world, it seemed.

Yet it wasn’t for long. Soon, they saw cargo wagons heading towards Beaconsfield, being pulled by two horses along with a set of guardsmen. On their plate mail there stood a flaming sword against the world.

Now, it is all we ever see.

He nodded towards the guardsmen, and they nodded back.

“Are they Fealdarian soldiers, Carol?” he said when they were out of earshot.

“Yes. Donning the same sigil described by your mysterious figure within your Portal. The Shadows Adept, you said?”

He nodded.

The dirt road continued into the horizon. Perhaps this wasn’t so bad. Dressing up as a commoner, pretending to play farmer. He could get used to this.

He could live a normal life.